PMDG 738

[EHM-1507 Manuel]

Here is a question to all PMDG 737-800 - Pilots:

How long did it take you, to get familiar with it.

I´ve bought it on monday and till today i spent about two hours just on ground to look around in this extensive (but absolutely great) cockpit. So I think maybe tomorrw I´ll do my first EHM - flight on it.


I´m wondering, what experiences others of you made.



Greets!


Manu

[EHM-1500 Jim]

Still learning after 3 months!!! I suggest you download the tutorial from the avsim file library - really helps alot. Jim

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Had it mostly down, then got FS2Crew and had to learn it all again with a virtual First Officer... then went and forgot it all

Had my first flight in it for at least three months this morning, only got lots of thing wrong

I'm with Jim on this, grab all the tutorials you can, and any checklists that you can find (there's a great one, in the form of an Excel spreadsheet, that is designed for FS2Crew, but it goes through just about everything...) And learn the CDU/FMS inside out - it's still the one part of the PMDG that lets me down

Having said that, I'm saving for the Project Magenta Boeing-style stuff and the Flightdeck Solution USB MCDU to make things a little more realistic...

[EHM-1281 Cyriel]

I'm pretty good in it. The only thing I somehow can not get dome is to delete a waypoint in the FMC in the middle of flight. Driving me crazy it always tell me "invalid delete". SO I always end up navigating without the FMC. FOr the rest it is great.

[EHM-1507 Manuel]

Thank you all!

I will look at the tutorials, you told me, and its great to know, I´m not the only one, who gotta learn a lot to fly that bird.

[EHM-1539 Pierre]

If it can make you feel better, I'm familiar with the 747 (744 PS1 from aerowinx), read the entire manual of the real aircraft etc... To make it short I'm an airliner freak.
After reading the complete documentation from PMDG it took me several days to operate it correctly, and several weeks to go be real fine with the FMC.

So don't worry, it takes some time because it's a real realistic stuff.
Their 747 will make some people get mad at first I think ^^

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Digging up an old topic here, but I just wanted to say I've bought PM (Boeing version o'course), ordered an FDS USB CDU and Bill Bulfer's 737NG FMC book is on the way from Shoreham Airport

/me engages "Cartman gloat mode"...

Soon as I get it (the FMC/CDU, that is) I'll grab some photos fer yall...

[EHM-1539 Pierre]

Haha, congrats

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Got the invoice from FDS this morning - delivery in 4-6 weeks, just when I'm on holiday

EDIT: No I'm not! Totally forgot that there is July between June and August... Doh! :%

[EHM-0948 Bruno]

I started using the PMDG 737-700 some days ago.

I got it learn fast, but when I downloaded the SID/STAR's new package from navadata.at, sometimes when I choose an airport is says "Error at line Y" or "Invalid entry on line Z" ...

How can I correct it ? I think it is a problem from the file, but didn't it is supposed to be tested first by them ?

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Bruno, can you be a little more specific?

I've never seen errors like this out of the navdata AIRACs...

A specific ICAO that you are seeing this with might help us locate/report this.

[EHM-0948 Bruno]

Ok.

I have the PMDG 737-600/700 and I downloaded from the navdata.at the latest SID/STAR package to LPPT only.

So, I installed it on the directory SIDSTARS inside the "fs9"/PMDG directory as it tells on the manual.

So, I started FS2004, and when I choose DEP/ARR and write LPPT on the FMC, i got that error. ... They say that I must report it, but I think that they already know about. I don't believe that I am the first person to see that error in "thousands" of people that use the PMDG ... well maybe not.

Regards,

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Originally posted by bfalcao
Ok.

I have the PMDG 737-600/700 and I downloaded from the navdata.at the latest SID/STAR package to LPPT only.

The Navdata updates are worldwide (I thought). Is it the current cycle you're talking about (0505 if mem serves... Can't get to navdata.at at the minute)?

So, I installed it on the directory SIDSTARS inside the "fs9"/PMDG directory as it tells on the manual.

Good - just clicking next through the insatller is usually the best idea...

So, I started FS2004, and when I choose DEP/ARR and write LPPT on the FMC, i got that error. ... They say that I must report it, but I think that they already know about. I don't believe that I am the first person to see that error in "thousands" of people that use the PMDG ... well maybe not.

Regards,

Ah, OK. The PMDG FMC works just like the real Smiths Industries unit, so are you remembering to do all the boring "initialisation" first, like setting the origin and so forth before you even try setting up the flight plan (let alone the DEP/APP)?

There is a definite process that needs to be followed if your going to use the FMC, and unfortunately you can't skip over any of the steps.

I'm at work so can't "play" with this, but once I get home (an hour from now...) I'll replicate and test as best I can.

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Ah, alles ist klare...

The PMDG FMC updates are in two parts

• the NAVDATA cycles (from navdata.at, down until after this coming weekend at the earliest...), and
• the SID/STAR cycles (from Terry Yingling's website. The PMDG site tends to lag behind Terry...)

You need to have both, for the same cycle, for the FMC to be "current" and correct... (then you can worry about programming the beast... :) )

EDIT: Does anyone have the PMDG AIRAC 0505? With navdata.at down, I can't download it directly (as I would normally do...) PM me if you have it (I have an FTP site where it can be uploaded...)

[EHM-0948 Bruno]

Yes, i downloaded the two files.

Also on the FMC is says that I have the latest version (0505 ?) but when I try the SID it gives me that error. Try yourself Murray.

[EHM-1500 Jim]

Bruno, had same problem myself - what you have to do is first of all write down which airports you are having problems with. Then go to the navdata site and select the SID/STAR option - then find the individual airport you are looking for and download the latest SID/STAR package for that airport for the PMKDG737 - then, copy this file to the SID/STAR folder within your PMDG folder within FS2004 and overwrite the old one....promise it works perfect then!! Jim

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Jim,

Would this be an example of Terry's infamous "If it's not in the DAFIF, I ain't putting it in my SID/STAR database"?

I haven't seen anything specific to Bruno's problem on either the navdata forum or Terry's forum (they're both on AVSIM, which makes getting between them easy), but there have been posts to both recently saying "Not my problem, I only do airways" in the case of navdata, and "if it ain't in DAFIF, I won't include it" in the case of Terry...

Bruno,

If what Jim says is correct, you just need to wait for navdata.at to come back up (after the weekend hopefully...) my 0504 cycle data doesn't show any errors on any of the LPPT SIDs, but I don't have the 0504 Navdata installer any more :|

[EHM-0948 Bruno]

Ok, I am going to make a printscreen of the error this night for all of you to show.

Thank you for your help.

[EHM-1539 Pierre]

According to PMDG support forum, it might be because the SID/STAR file is invalid, ie : contains errors. I might check it tonight.
Maybe there is a mistake somewhere, and those sids are not made for PMDG but another addon, that would explain why you get this error on multiple airports.

[EHM-1539 Pierre]

I just checked the LPPT file from navdata, and compared it with another (LFPG) that i know is working.

The LPPT one seems not as good formatted, and there is a ignore marker in the SID section, that shouldn't be here, unless the author had a special purpose.

NAVAID LAR NAVAID MONUR AT OR ABOVE 4000 NAVAID EKMAR NAVAID BUSEN
//SID BUSE8D.RNAV RNW 03 RNW 35 KEEP TRK UNTIL 2000 HDG 270 INTERCEPT RADIAL 227 FROM

Will check in FS tonight.

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Pierre,

What file are you looking in for that? Terry Yingling's PMDG procedures pack for cycle 0505 LPPT.txt file hasn't got any "//"s in it...

I think it needs to be re-iterated for all newer PMDG 737 owners (and probably some of us that have had it for a while):

The PMDG FMC AIRAC cycle updates come in two parts;

• the Airway updates (courtesy of Navdata.at), and
  
• the Procedures updates (courtesy of Terry Yingling)

(NOTE: urls point to the pages hosting the correct downloads, not the downloads themselves)

To apply a complete AIRAC cycle update to the PMDG FMC, download the update zip files (for the same AIRAC cycle! 0505 is current at the time of writing...), then install the Airway update first (using the navdata installer, so click "Next" lots), then apply the Procedures update over the top of the Airway update (manual install, unfortunately).

While the Airway updates contain some procedures, it's not very many. The Procedures updates do all the hard work in that respect.

Finally, Terry has a habit of applying "fixes" to his Procedure updates mid-cycle, so if your are having problems with procedures on your FMC, download a new copy of the Procedures update (and apply it, o' course) and test with the new data before panicking...

[EHM-1539 Pierre]

I know that, but our lovely CEO did take his SID/STAR on navdata.at for the first post, and to reproduce the same error I need the same file

Gonna try both in FS now.

Furthermore, Bruno, I don't get why you need to type LPPT in the DEP/ARR page, normally if your flight is set up correctly, LPPT is already memorized.
(if you did that to gain time for the test because it did it when your FMC was properly set up anyway, forget it).

And also, could you confirm you have the 1.3 version of 737NG ?

[EHM-1539 Pierre]

Did put the MPDG 738 on LPPT runway, INIT REF, then ROUTE, entered LPPT departure, LFPG arrival, went to DEP / ARR, LPPT is working fine, either SID or STAR, with the navdata version and the terry yingling too...

[EHM-0948 Bruno]

Well, here it is :

When i turn it on, show this :


The error appears when i choose RTE -> and place the dep airport...



Hope it helps ....

[EHM-0654 Murray]

Originally posted by bfalcao
Hope it helps ....

Some. If I had to guess, I'd say that the SID/STAR package you downloaded was broken. Grab a new copy of Terry Yingling's 0505 cycle (url is in my post above...) and install that straight over the top of whatever you've currently got.